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WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: ‘Give and take’ rummage sale at Highland Park Elementary

April 27, 2024 11:55 am
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: ‘Give and take’ rummage sale at Highland Park Elementary
 |   Highland Park | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photos)

Continuing with today’s recycling theme – a different take on recycle/reuse, the classic rummage/yard/garage sale. The PTA/PTSAs of Highland Park Elementary and Pathfinder K-8 are teaming up on this “give and take” sale today – taking donations, with the motto “Give what you can, take what you need.”

Among those making this happen at the HPE campus (1012 SW Trenton) are Gretchen, Haley, Sher, and Ellen:

The sale’s on until 3 pm!

Decision delayed for Delridge/Highland Park ‘Healthy Streets’ future, HPAC hears at April meeting

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Alki Point Healthy Street: Permanent.

High Point Healthy Street: Permanent.

Delridge/Highland Park Healthy Streets: Undecided.

And it might remain that way until late this year, the community coalition HPAC heard last night at its monthly meeting, facilitated by co-chair Kay Kirkpatrick.

SDOT’s Michael Taylor-Judd was there for the discussion during HPAC’s meeting at Southwest Library. He stressed that while he’s an outreach person for the Healthy Streets program, he’s not a decisionmaker, but promised he would convey what he heard. Here’s the stretch under discussion:

Taylor-Judd said it will get upgraded signage by summer, he said. He was asked to describe what a “Healthy Street” is; he went back to their pandemic roots, acknowledging the city said it was originally temporary, but “what we heard from the public was that people really liked the increased space” to walk, roll, and ride. “That led to an evaluation of all of them … to see if this is something that neighborhoods want to keep or not.” In most cases (Alki Point being an exception) these were rolled out on streets already designated as greenways, Taylor-Judd said. They are intended to be “safer routes” for people to use. They were evaluated on factors such as whether more people are walking, rolling and biking, is there neighborhood support, are fewer people driving? The stats he showed dated back to 2020 and 2021, but he said new data is to be collected soon. Two attendees said they haven’t seen pedestrian or bicyclist traffic on these stretches of streets. He said the decision is not likely to be made until year’s end, later than originally thought. The three questions would be:

Read More

From the ‘other’ Healthy Street to hope for ‘The Hum,’ updates from HPAC’s April meeting invitation

We’ve published recent updates on the Alki Point and High Point “Healthy Streets” – so what’s up with the other one SDOT set up in West Seattle, the Delridge/Highland Park “Healthy Street”? That’ll be a central topic at this Wednesday’s HPAC meeting. HPAC’s announcement also includes an update from the resident who was sleuthing the return of “The Hum” as discussed at a previous meeting:

As folks are starting to get out and about, gearing up for spring and summer walking and rolling, SDOT will be our guest this month to talk about the future for the Delridge/Highland Park Healthy Street network. All users of the routes in question are welcome, regardless of where you live.

These routes were put in place during the pandemic to broaden access to safe outdoor spaces. Most often they were installed along existing or planned Neighborhood Greenways. Streets being considered for changes include portions of 21st Ave SW, 15th Ave SW, 17th Ave SW, 11th Ave SW, SW Webster and SW Trenton, noted in dashed purple lines on this map.

We understand that Planners want to hear:

-What part of the network should be kept and improved?
-What kind of barriers, amenities and signage are preferred?
-What part(s) should return to general usage?

We will also expect to have Seattle Police Department representatives on hand to answer community questions and hear any concerns.

Look forward to seeing folks in person!

General announcements:

Just in!! We have an Update on “The HUMM.” From concerned resident Matthew H, who has been leading outreach on this quality of life issue:

“I’ve been in touch with CalPortland and they conceded their industrial vacuums are creating noise. The mufflers they installed wore out faster than they thought they would. They assured me that the new mufflers would be installed by the end of the month.”

For those not aware, or new to the area. These huge vacuums are used by the concrete supply companies along the Duwamish Waterway to unload powdered materials shipped here to use in their products. Hopefully they are able to get these repaired shortly as promised!

That turned out to be the source of the sound back when we covered community advocates’ quest to figure out the same problem more than a decade ago, and as we’ve told people more recently, the sporadic reports of its return have usually coincided with a dry-cargo ship being in port on the river. Meantime, HPAC’s meeting starts at 6:30 pm Wednesday (April 24) at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).

TRAFFIC ALERT: Highland Park Way/Holden signal work wraps up starting this week

April 21, 2024 7:57 pm
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT: Highland Park Way/Holden signal work wraps up starting this week
 |   Highland Park | Safety | West Seattle news

(March 2020 photo)

Four years after the “temporary” signal went up at Highland Park Way/Holden, shortly after the West Seattle Bridge closure dramatically increased traffic there, the signal’s permanent replacement is almost complete. “Final steps” of the project start tomorrow, according to this advisory sent by SDOT:

We are on the final stretch of construction for the permanent traffic signal at the intersection of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St. Over the next few weeks, we will attach the traffic signal heads to the metal mast arms so they are no longer hanging from a wire.

After that, we will hang traffic cameras to monitor and adjust the signal in real-time and install traffic loops in the pavement on all four sides of the intersection so the signal can recognize when a person driving is waiting at the light. We will also activate the crosswalk button on the sidewalk, so people can request a signal change when they need to walk across the street.

All of these steps will improve traffic signal timing for people who are driving, while providing signalized crossings for people who are walking.

When

This work is scheduled from April 22 – May 10, though that could shift based on weather and crew availability. Our work hours are from 7 AM – 4 PM.

What to Expect

Alternating traffic lanes will be closed during some of this work, but there will always be one lane open for cars to get through. There will also be temporary sidewalk closures and detour routes for people walking. This is not particularly noisy work, but if you live or work in the area, you may hear construction equipment running and some beeping when crews back up equipment.

The signal is the centerpiece of a wider safety project at the intersection following years of community advocacy for improvements.

FOLLOWUP: Highland Park ex-substation now officially open for ‘affordable homeownership’ proposals. Here’s what that means

Want to build commercial space and ~16 for-sale homes in Highland Park? As previewed last week, the city Office of Housing is now officially seeking prospective developers for the former Dumar Substation at 16th/Holden.

About a decade has passed since Seattle City Light declared it “surplus,” and now it’s finally on the pathway to something besides sitting vacant and fenced. Community advocates campaigned for it to be rezoned so that a mixed-use project would be possible, and it’s now zoned “neighborhood commercial” for up to four stories. Most recently, the city moved to transfer it from SCL to the Office of Housing, which is now in charge of finding an affordable-homeownership developer for the site.

The documents comprising the newly posted Request for Proposals describe the site and a project already planned for its periphery:

The site is rectangular, relatively level, and is estimated to be 9,425 square feet. In 2025, Seattle Public Utilities will construct a natural drainage system in the property’s frontage and within the public right-of-way. The natural drainage system will be located between existing sidewalks and the new edge of the roadway on SW Holden Street between 16th Avenue SW and 17th Avenue SW. The new system will help improve water quality in nearby Longfellow Creek, diversify landscaping in the neighborhood, and provide roadway and pedestrian safety by adding/updating ADA curb ramps. Proposals will need to include a plan to preserve this infrastructure.

The Office of Housing transferred $424,000 – the property’s current valuation as determined by the King County Assessor – to City Light, using funding from Mandatory Housing Affordability fees paid by developers instead of building affordable housing in their own projects. The documents say the Office of Housing will expect the developer to reimburse some of that, since it’s only supposed to go toward housing, and this project will include some commercial space. However, they also mention that the developer may apply for city subsidy funding to cover part of the costs of building. Other points of interest from the Request for Proposals – here’s how “affordable homeownership” is defined:

Affordability Level: The proposed sales prices must be affordable to households with incomes at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) for the Seattle area as published on OH’s website. For the purposes of this Request for Proposals (RFP), affordable is defined as a 5% down payment, a monthly payment for housing costs (mortgage principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and other dues) of not more than 35% of income, a household size of one more person than number of bedrooms and a realistic mortgage interest rate. Proposals may not contain any market rate housing, even if proceeds from market rate housing would subsidize the cost of the affordable homes.

Affordability Duration: The proposal must be for the development of ownership housing with agreements that maintain affordability for a minimum of 50 years.

The developer also will be expected to involve community groups in figuring out how to use the ground-floor commercial space, the documents say:

Community-Informed Development of Commercial Space: Competitive proposals will include thoughtful plans to engage the community on potential uses for the commercial space and include plans for outreach to potential occupants with a focus on small, locally and/or Black, Indigenous, or other person of color owned businesses that will help to activate the neighborhood and encourage walkability. Local organizations serving Highland Park and its neighboring communities, such as the Highland Park Action Coalition, the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association, the White Center Community Development Association, the Cultural Space Agency, and Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery, should be included in this outreach effort. Projects that propose selling the commercial space will score higher than those proposing to lease it.

Prospective developers have until May 24 to get their proposals in.

This site was one of six former substations in West Seattle that were authorized in 2015 to go up for sale. Only one has been developed into housing, the former Andover substation site on Pigeon Point; another is now Delridge Wetlands Park, while the other three sites remain vacant.

FOLLOWUP: Next step imminent for ‘affordable homeownership’ plan at Highland Park ex-substation site

(2013 image via Seattle City Light)

By the end of this week, the city will take the next step in transforming a former Seattle City Light substation in Highland Park into housing – “affordable homeownership,” to be specific (with ground-floor commercial space). We reported in November and December on the City Council votes to approve transferring the 10,000+-square-foot parcel from SCL to the Office of Housing (OH) for $424,000 in Mandatory Housing Affordability fees from developers who choose to pay fees instead of building affordable units in their projects. This week, the Office of Housing will open the Request for Proposals from developers interested in the 16th/Holden site, zoned Neighborhood Commercial 40 (four stories), as the result of neighborhood advocacy. It’s projected that the site might be able to house 16 units. There are very specific rules for affordable-homeownership development, both for buyer eligibility and for what can be done with the units post-purchase (they must be owner-occupied, for example). When the Request for Proposals is available – projected for Friday – it’ll be linked on this city webpage.

FOLLOWUP: Westcrest Park play-area project ‘ahead of schedule’

That photo was sent Sunday by PM of Highland Park, one of several readers who’ve pointed out that the new Westcrest Park play equipment looks almost ready to go, though it’s still fenced off. We checked in with Seattle Parks today about its official status; spokesperson Karen O’Connor replied, “The contractor is ahead of schedule on this project. We anticipate opening sometime in the next two weeks after all final inspections are completed.” The same contractor is also working on the Lincoln Park South Play Area, so we’re asking where that’s at. Both play areas had been closed for years because of safety concerns before the replacement projects finally got going this year.

HPAC REPORT #2: Encampment updates, re-sleuthing ‘The Hum,’ Delridge Triangle

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Our first report on this past week’s HPAC meeting – held online Wednesday night – focused on the group’s discussion with a Metro rep about proposed bus-stop changes. But the coalition tackled other topics of note, and that’s what we’re writing about now.

ENCAMPMENTS: Questions about several encampments in southeast West Seattle had surfaced at previous meetings, so HPAC invited local-government reps to attend with updates. Tom Van Bronkhorst was there from the city’s Unified Care Team, and James Poling was there on behalf of WSDOT. The one of greatest concern was the growing encampment at 1st/Cloverdale, just west of Highway 509. Poling said that WSDOT “has started preliminary assessment at the site.” Van Bronkhorst said WSDOT doesn’t own the entirety of the property involved – there’s adjacent city land that’s “also encamped.” As a result of that, he said, the city will be “working in the weeks ahead to plan some kind of removal.” Before that, he expected crews would be removing litter at the site. (We followed up post-meeting with Lori Baxter, who handles homelessness-response inquiries for the mayor’s office, and she confirmed the site is getting “weekly trash mitigation … while WSDOT resolution planning continues.” She added, “The Unified Care Team last inspected this site on February 14, noting six RVs/vehicles and three tents/structures.”) At the HPAC meeting, Van Bronkhorst also addressed the encampment across Delridge Way from the Southwest Precinct, saying it’s likely to be resolved by summer, because a city reforestation project is planned to “activate” that area (the Delridge Native Forest Garden, which got a federal grant last year, and about which Baxter tells us, “UCT will consider the construction schedule while building out upcoming calendar dates”). Finally, regarding Barton between 15th and 17th, Van Bronkhorst said five RVs were there at last count, 600 pounds of trash was removed three weeks ago, and the outreach agency REACH has been “visiting every few weeks.”

‘THE HUM’: More than a decade ago, we reported on then-HPAC leadership leading community sleuthing of the droning noise that so many were hearing at night. It was traced to vacuum equipment offloading dry cargo from ships serving an industrial facility on the Duwamish River; better muffling was installed, and that seemed to handle the problem. In recent months, we hear every so often from someone thinking they’re hearing it again; invariably, when we get one of those reports, we check MarineTraffic.com, and it shows the same type of ship in port around the same spot. At Wednesday’s meeting, local resident Matthew said he’s resolved to get to the bottom of it, including finding out what the noise rules are. HPAC leadership agreed to collaborate with him. You can help too – if you hear it, log the time. Record it if you can.

DELRIDGE TRIANGLE: This triangle of land by the Route 60 northbound bus stop across from 2 Fingers Social was the subject of a community-led planning process in 2017-2019 aimed at turning it into more of a park. Eventually the effort stalled (the last mention in our archives was July 2019). Now, HPAC says, there’s word that Seattle Parks is acquiring the parcel from SDOT. We’re following up on that with both.

WHAT’S NEXT? HPAC meets on fourth Wednesdays most months, 7 pm. Watch the HPAC website for updates.

FOLLOWUP: Here’s what Metro told HPAC about proposed bus-stop changes

(WSB photo, last week)

“We really bumbled out of the gate,” acknowledged Metro‘s Robbie Frankel at last night’s HPAC meeting, referring to how the proposed bus-stop closures in Highland Park/South Delridge were – and were not – initially communicated. As first reported here, the only initial notification was via paper notices posted at the stops, and they pointed would-be commenters to an email address that bounced. That emailbox – which apparently had been deactivated since the last time Metro gathered feedback on stops in this area – has since been reactivated, and Frankel said the feedback already has likely taken one pair of stops off the table for closure consideration: He says they’ve heard a lot about the importance of the SW Thistle stops, two of six stops proposed for changes on the original list.

Otherwise, Frankel stressed that the proposal is in the very early stages. As to why stop closures are being proposed at all, he said it’s because of the City of Seattle’s plan to give Metro money to beef up weekend/night service on Route 125, and to improve some of the stops – maybe adding shelters, benches, paved pads, etc. They wouldn’t want to waste that money on stops that might eventually be removed in a future Metro review of the route, so they stepped up the review (though otherwise their next look at local routes isn’t scheduled until 2026).

It was stressed to Frankel that 16th SW serves South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and the community really wants to ensure the college is getting the support it needs to thrive, so that’s another reason to tread lightly with this route. It was also suggested that Metro will want to reach out to the 16th SW Safety Committee that’s been active in advocating for traffic calming and other concerns closer. Meantime, the extended deadline for comments is two weeks from today – March 14 – and you can email your feedback to busstopsw@kingcounty.gov.

P.S. More on the rest of last night’s HPAC meeting later.

WEDNESDAY: HPAC talks bus changes, public safety, ‘Hum’ redux

Lively agenda announced for Wednesday night’s online meeting of HPAC, the community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge. They’re bringing in Metro to talk about the changes recently reported here and here – bus-stop closures (and a relocation) plus city-funded plans to add more service hours to Route 125 (which we have since learned was buried in this SDOT announcement). Public-safety concerns are on the agenda too. So is the recurring noise that some speculate might be a return of “The Hum” (traced more than a decade ago by HPAC’s then-leadership and WSB to dry-cargo unloading on the Duwamish River). Don’t miss this meeting, 7 pm Wednesday – connection/call-in info is in the preview here.

FOLLOWUP: ‘This is a huge day’ – Permit progress for Highland Park Improvement Club rebuild

(Rendering by Wittman Estes)

11:34 AM: From today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin, word of a key land-use approval for the Highland Park Improvement Club rebuild. Two and a half years have passed since a fire shut down the community organization’s historic headquarters at 1116 SW Holden, and HPIC has been working ever since to reach the rebuilding stage. They’ve obtained some major grants and other donations, but are still fundraising; meantime, the announcement of this city approval opens a two-week window for appeals of the decision – this notice explains how. You can read the full decision here. We have a message out to HPIC for an update on the project status (this is by no means the last stage of the permit process); meantime, here’s our coverage of their most recent “town hall” about the project, one month ago.

3:22 PM: Responding to our request for comment, HPIC board president Rhonda Smith says this is very good news for the project:

We also received notice this morning that SDCI has approved the MUP [Master Use Permit]. Finally we know that we can proceed with the building permit process without having to make any changes to the design we submitted that triggered the MUP. This is a huge day for HPIC and the community as we were not certain which direction SDCI would take.

We can now finalize the standard building permit set for the project and reactivate plans to remove unusable portions of the building. This involves the architects and our general contractor’s schedules. Demolition work will be the first opportunity for community hands-on involvement on the property since the fire, and will make such a big visual change to the site to get ready for construction.

In addition, we can begin in earnest actively fundraising now that we know the City is on board with this project. As we reported at the January Town Hall, we have about a $2M funding gap. This is where we will be emphasizing our focus this year, along with community outreach and events.

READER REPORT: Metro planning stop closures in Highland Park

SUNDAY: The photo and report are from Juan:

I noticed that a number of bus stops along 16th Ave SW in Highland Park had signs stating the stops were under consideration for closure by Metro. The provide a deadline of February 29, 2024 to submit comments. I have not seen this information provided anywhere else and this came as a complete surprise.

The feedback address on the sign is busstopsw@kingcounty.gov. We’ll be inquiring with Metro on Tuesday (since offices are closed for Presidents Day tomorrow); if you’ve seen closure alerts elsewhere, please let us know.

ADDED MONDAY: We traveled along 16th for a closer look at where the stops are posted for removal. We saw the signs on some – not all – stops from south of Donovan to south of Holden.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Art thief steals banner from HPIC fence

Someone has stolen one of the art banners that’s been beautifying the fence around the fire-shuttered Highland Park Improvement Club. HPIC trustee Kay Kirkpatrick sent the report and images:

(HPIC fence pre-theft – the banner on the right is the one taken)

HPIC trustees are sad to alert folks that someone has stolen one of the current Art Banner pieces from our fence along SW Holden St. This happened on February 13th at some unknown time (a Valentine’s Day gift?). The artwork was part of a series that we have been displaying in collaboration with Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery featuring themes of community and resilience, titled ART FOR BRIGHTER DAYS.

HPIC and Nepantla installed the three vibrant 5′ x 8′ banners displaying the art of three local artists: Raquel Garcia, Jake Prendez, and Rolando Avila. The art was curated by Nepantla and was installed on the construction fences facing Holden, and scheduled to remain in place indefinitely, or until the building demolition occurs.

If you happen to have seen anything, or have seen the missing panel ~ which is the piece on the right (images at bottom of poster) by Rolando Avila, please contact HPIC1919@gmail.com

911 explained, crime stats detailed, ‘natural drainage’ project updates, more at HPAC’s first 2024 meeting

January 25, 2024 12:28 pm
|    Comments Off on 911 explained, crime stats detailed, ‘natural drainage’ project updates, more at HPAC’s first 2024 meeting
 |   Delridge | Highland Park | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Another in-person meeting last night began the 2024 calendar for HPAC, the community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge. They’re testing various locations since their longtime meeting quarters at Highland Park Improvement Club remain out of commission, so last night’s meeting was held at Southwest Library, which meant an earlier start and fixed cutoff time, since the branch clears meeting rooms 15 minutes before 8 pm closing time.

Nonetheless, the 1 1/4-hour meeting facilitated by HPAC co-chair Kay Kirkpatrick delivered plenty of information. Here’s how it unfolded:

SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest Precinct team that’s appeared at multiple recent community meetings, Lt. Josh Ziemer and community liaison Officer German Barreto, were asked about the shooting death at Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center on Tuesday, but said they could not divulge any updates. In crime stats, so far this year, Highland Park had three assaults, 6 motor-vehicle-related thefts (car prowls, etc.), 7 motor-vehicle thefts and attempted thefts, including “one restolen from a tow lot,” 1 aggravated assault, 1 attempted burglary, 1 store robbery, 1 residential burglary. 2 larceny (one attempted mail theft and one mail theft). Year to year, 2023 compared to 2022, homicides, aggravated assaults up, motor vehicle thefts up, burglaries down.

For South Delridge, also in HPAC’s coverage area – so far this year 2 assaults, one motor vehicle theft, one hit-run, one business burglary, one robbery (phone snatch) – robberies are down year to year, thefts down, except for vehicle thefts, which are up.

Asked about the 1st/Cloverdale encampment just off the sharp turn west of Highway 509:

Read More

Make it a triple! Three ways – including the Dick’s Drive-In truck – to help Highland Park Elementary this Saturday

That’s a photo from the Dick’s Drive-In truck visit to Highland Park Corner Store last May. It’s returning this Saturday (January 27), this time as one of three ways to help nearby Highland Park Elementary School students, via the PTA.

First – show up for a community cleanup at 10 am Saturday – meet on the west side of the school (1012 SW Trenton) by the dumpsters.

Second – At 11 am, head to the HP Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW), where the Dick’s truck will be selling burgers and shakes until 2 pm as part of a fundraiser for the PTA.

Third – While you’re at HPCS, grab a Mighty Mustang soda, and/or a pint of local beer, and bid on raffle items, also at HPCS, as the PTA works to raise money for new stools and acrylic paint for the school’s Art Room. grab a Mighty Mustang Soda or a pint of local beer, and bid on raffle items – the proceeds of which will go to support the Highland Park Elementary PTA. The PTA thanks Dick’s, The Bridge, and HPCS for supporting the school, and hopes you’ll be there to help.

VIDEO: Permits close; people wanted! Highland Park Improvement Club ‘town hall’ update on rebuilding progress, and what you can do

January 21, 2024 10:43 pm
|    Comments Off on VIDEO: Permits close; people wanted! Highland Park Improvement Club ‘town hall’ update on rebuilding progress, and what you can do
 |   Highland Park | How to help | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Highland Park Improvement Club rebuilding project needs more donated dollars. But as much as – or maybe even more than – that, iHPIC needs your talent and time.

That was the message at this week’s online “town hall” updating where the project stands, two and a half years after fire ravaged HPIC’s historic community-owned-and-operated building at 12th/Holden.

The meeting, facilitated by HPIC’s board president Rhonda Smith and member Kay Kirkpatrick, lasted less than an hour, and you can see it in its entirety in the HPIC-provided video above. It was the first “town hall” update on the project in more than a year (here’s our coverage of the previous one, in November 2022), and the sixth since the fire.

The project has been far from idle in the ensuing 14 months – it’s been slogging through the city review process, as explained by architect (and Highland Park resident) Matt Estes of Wittman Estes. Key permits are likely just weeks away. But that’s just one hurdle to clear – to make the project reality, it’ll take more community involvement and more fundraising. The latter has made a lot of progress: Read More

FOLLOWUP: Here’s when work will start on Westcrest Park’s long-closed play area

(Reader photo by Jon from May 2021)

With work starting on the Lincoln Park South Play Area replacement, we asked Seattle Parks about the schedule for Westcrest Park, since that play-area replacement is part of the same contract awarded to LW Sundstrom. Today we got the reply: Work at Westcrest Park – where the play structure was closed for safety concerns in May 2021 – is expected to begin in March. It’s a narrower scope than Lincoln Park, so both are expected to be finished “approximately (in) June,” according to Parks spokesperson Karen O’Connor.

WEDNESDAY: Highland Park Improvement Club online town hall, with rebuilding update

January 15, 2024 8:15 pm
|    Comments Off on WEDNESDAY: Highland Park Improvement Club online town hall, with rebuilding update
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news

This week brings a multitude of meetings of note in West Seattle. The newest one announced is Highland Park Improvement Club‘s Wednesday night online town hall. A major topic: Progress report on the reconstruction plan for HPIC’s building at (corrected) 1116 SW Holden, gutted by fire in June 2021. Our last major update on the project was back in August; it’s still moving through the permit system, and nonprofit HPIC continues fundraising to cover what insurance won’t. HPIC also has openings for more community involvement. The meeting is at 7 pm Wednesday (January 17) and you’ll find the attendance link and phone options by going here.

Screenings, vaccinations, mammograms, more at health fair open to all in West Seattle on Saturday

Both Highland Park Elementary and Public Health – Seattle & King County have sent announcements about a big health/wellness fair at the school this Saturday (January 13), 10 am-2 pm, open to the entire community, not just people who are connected to HPES. Among the services available are childhood vaccines; flu, COVID, and mpox vaccines; blood-pressure and blood-sugar checks; mammograms; and health-insurance enrollment if you don’t already have it. A free lunch will be available and other giveaways, including winter jackets. This flyer has more details (including the phone number for a mammogram appointment – other services are walkup) on the overall event; this flyer has more details on the available vaccinations. HPES is at 1012 SW Trenton.

ROAD-WORK ALERT: Next phase of Highland Park Way/Holden permanent-signal installation

(Highland Park Way/Holden pole installation last Wednesday – photo by Kay Kirkpatrick)

Another SDOT alert for people traveling in the Highland Park Way/Holden intersection vicinity – the next phase of the installing the permanent traffic signal:

We recently installed new metal traffic signal poles at the Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St intersection. We will now add the mast arms, which are cross bars that attach to the poles and extend out over the street. These mast arms will hold the new permanent traffic signals.

This work is scheduled for the week of January 8, though that could shift based on weather and crew availability. Our work hours are from 7 AM – 4 PM and the installation process and other related work should take about three days.

Alternating traffic lanes will be closed during installation, but there will always be one lane open for cars to get through. There will also be temporary sidewalk closures and detour routes for people walking.

The permanent signal replaces the cable-suspended lights that were installed shortly after the March 2020 West Seattle Bridge shutdown started overwhelming the intersection with detour traffic.

ROAD-WORK ALERT: Highland Park Way/Holden signal-pole installation ahead

(WSB photo, March 2020)

Almost four years ago – days after the West Seattle Bridge’s sudden shutdownSDOT hurriedly put up a “temporary” traffic signal at Highland Park Way and Holden, after that already-busy intersection was quickly overrun with detour traffic. SDOT promised the signal eventually would become permanent, since a “safety project” was in the works for that intersection anyway. This week, one of the final steps – pole installation. Here’s the alert:

This week, we will install new metal traffic signal poles at the Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St intersection. This is part of the process to replace the existing temporary traffic signal with a more durable, permanent one.

When

This work is scheduled for Wednesday, January 3 and Thursday, January 4 from 7 AM – 4 PM. This timeframe could shift based on weather and crew availability.

What to Expect

Alternating traffic lanes will be closed during installation, but there will always be one lane open for cars to get through. There may also be temporary sidewalk closures. This is not particularly noisy work, but if you live or work in the area, you may hear construction equipment running and some beeping when crews are backing up equipment.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire investigation

For a second consecutive night, police are investigating gunfire in Highland Park. They responded to a call from someone who reported seeing someone fire a gun out a car window in the 8100 block of 8th SW around 8:23 pm. The caller then said they found at least one shell casing while police were on the way. No injuries are reported; the only description so far is that the person fired toward a building from the passenger side of an “early model sedan” that was last seen heading west on SW Elmgrove. This is about half a mile south of where last night’s gunfire happened.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire damages apartments

1:33 AM: After 911 calls reporting suspected gunfire near 12th/Holden about 15 minutes ago, police have found evidence in an alley. Officers have told dispatch they’ve located at least six casings. … A nearby resident also is reporting two bullet holes in their apartment. No injuries reported so far.

2:10 AM: SPD says “multiple units were damaged.”